


Aloe You Vera Much

by artificialmac



Series: You Make My Daisy verse [2]
Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Lesbian AU, Sickeningly Sweet, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Worldbuilding, they smile a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 18:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19892419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artificialmac/pseuds/artificialmac
Summary: Vanessa and Brooke navigate their new relationship and gross out all their friends with how adorable they are.





	Aloe You Vera Much

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to You Make My Daisy, my Branjie flower shop and bakery AU. It isn’t essential that you read YMMD to understand this, but it sure would help at a few points. Anyway...thanks a million to my darlings’ grapefruit and Dane for beta-ing and being the absolute sweetest angels, as well as ripping me to shreds and making me write better than I think I ever have. Y'all are the best!

The months that follow their initial coupling are filled with long nights spent walking up and down the street/sidewalk/road, talking about nothing and everything, and early mornings trading lazy kisses for so long that they are both almost late.

The days are filled with longing for their lunch break to hurry the fuck up so they can see each other. It’s stupid and silly but it makes Brooke’s insides fill with butterflies, nonetheless.

On days that Brooke goes on break before Vanessa, she waits patiently at one of the few tables inside the bakery, stealing glances at Vanessa’s face while she pounds some dough, sets up some display, or stares back at her. Vanessa’s hair was always falling into her face in a way that Brooke thought couldn’t possibly be up to code with proper food handling practices, but she would never complain as the vision of a sweaty and exhausted Vanessa was one of her truly favorite sights.

The younger girl would smile up at her from under her long curls and Brooke would swear she gets more beautiful as the days pass.

They would walk hand in hand to the local cafe, Shuga would smile knowingly and make a comment about them being attached at the hip. Brooke would roll her eyes and pull Vanessa another inch closer. Shuga would smile wider and hand them their orders, knowing them by heart by now.

Vanessa would thank her sweetly and wave to the other employees. Brooke would feel bad for not knowing their names, but she would reason with herself that Vanessa usually came by to grab Brooke and herself a drink before they closed up, so she had more time to get to know them.

After getting yelled at the past few times for eating on the roof of the movie theatre, they had tried to switch up their lunch location. The small bookshop near the end of the street/sidewalk/road was often too quiet for both their tastes, but the small food court was too loud. They often settled for the fire escape on the side of the abandoned record store. They would trade lovesick smiles and bites of their sandwiches. Brooke would eat the pickles off Vanessa’s sandwich and ask her why she even got pickles if she didn’t like them. Vanessa would smile sweetly and say that Brooke liked them. 

Brooke would try to kiss her, but Vanessa would squeal that she tasted like pickles. 

Vanessa would kiss her anyway. 

It went on this way for months. Five months to be exact. 

Brooke was waiting for the inevitable crash. The Punk’d crew to come out and tell her it had all been an elaborate joke. She was waiting for her self-destructive nature to get the better of her. Or her perfectionist tendencies to drive Vanessa away. It is incredible to Brooke how all her flaws are taken in stride. Vanessa sees them as a part of Brooke. And she adores every part of Brooke.

Brooke doesn’t know how she got so lucky. 

Vanessa doesn’t either.

The day starts like any other. With Vanessa’s eyes being the first thing Brooke sees upon waking. Brooke swears she could never see anything else for the rest of her life and she would be happy.

Vanessa kisses her sweetly; morning breath be damned. And Brooke never minds. Vanessa always tastes like Vanessa - and home.

The younger girl smiles at her, eyes still unfocused without her contacts, looking to all the world like a woman in love. Brooke dares to hope she is. Dares to hope she isn’t the only one falling completely hopelessly in love.

She won’t say it yet. Even after five months, it feels too soon. 

Vanessa brushes the hair out of her face and places a quick kiss to Brooke’s forehead before throwing off the blankets. She moves around the apartment with a kind of confidence that makes Brooke’s heart soar. Vanessa looks like she belongs there. 

She does. They both know she does.

The younger girl pulls on a shirt - not hers - and walks to the kitchen. Brooke lays in bed, content to listen to Vanessa hum to herself and look around for anything to eat. Vanessa scolds Brooke from the room over about not having anything to eat in the damn house other than coffee, which is probably not nutritious enough to eat raw. Brooke chuckles lightly and rouses enough strength to get up and follow her girlfriend’s complaints.

Thirty minutes later they are both caffeinated and ready to leave. They part ways in the middle of the sidewalk/street/road with a quick peck and a longing glance.

Brooke laments how her heart sinks when Vanessa’s curls disappear from view. She reminds herself that they will literally be reunited in mere hours. 

It doesn't placate her.

The day passes in a haze. With Valentine’s Day coming up, Brooke is swamped with orders. Her business is really blossoming. Brooke’s newest collection of flowers is selling like crazy. It’s stupid, she knows it is, but she named the boquet Vanessa. It’s cheesy and stupid, but it also makes her incredibly happy to have so many people ask for her girlfriend’s name - even if they just want flowers.

Three o’clock comes faster than usual. Brooke looks up to the chime of the door to see the subject of her affections looking at the newest display. She suddenly feels nervous. What if it’s too much? What if Vanessa finds it creepy? What if-

All Brooke’s fears are gone the moment Vanessa finishes reading the card on the table. She flashes Brooke a dazzling smile, as a few tears prick the edges of her eyes. 

“I love them.” Vanessa says against her lips.

 _I love you._ Brooke wants to say. “I’m glad.” She says instead.

Vanessa holds her extra close on their way to the cafe. 

Shuga gives her a look. “She saw the flowers?”

Brooke nods.

Shuga had been the first one to notice them in the window of the shop. She had held Brooke’s hands in hers when Brooke confessed her fears and told her not to worry so much.

Shuga rolls her eyes fondly. “Girl, you two are sweeter’n sugar.”

“Hate us cause you aint us.” Vanessa jokes back.

Shuga rolls her eyes again as she slides their food across the counter. “Okay, lovebirds. Make yourselves scarce ‘fore you scare any of my customers with your canoodling.”

Brooke winks at her and grabs Vanessa’s ass on the way out.

The fire escape is particularly precarious today and the chill in the air doesn’t help with the stability. 

It probably isn’t the best idea to be eating outside in this weather, but a rountines a routine. Vanessa is bundled up and Brooke thinks she looks like an adorable marshmallow. She tells her as much.

Vanessa rolls her eyes. “You say that cause you wanna eat me.”

“Well I know for a fact that you taste better than this sandwich.” Brooke winks at her and bites into her sandwich making a show of her aggressiveness. 

Vanessa laughs out loud. Her head thrown back and mouth full of food. Brooke thinks she has never looked more beautiful. She tells her as much. Vanessa leans in to kiss her for what must be the hundredth time that day, when a clattering startles the both of them. 

It seems to be coming from inside the abandoned record store.

Vanessa gets up, food forgotten as she looks over the railing. Brooke follows suit, hands coming to rest around Vanessa’s waist, knowing her girlfriend to be the clumsiest person alive, when she sees a flash of what looks like fur. Vanessa shoots her a glance and they share a confused look.

Vanessa, ever the adventurer starts to climb down the fire escape, after firmly securing her sandwich in her mouth. Brooke calls after her. “Baby, what are you doing?”

“I wanna know what that was.” Her voice is muffled by the food.

“What if it was a ghost, ‘Nessa? And you’re about to get your ass haunted for the rest of your life?”

“Well then you wouldn’t be the only one haunting my ass.”

Brooke bites back a chuckle and follows behind her girlfriend. 

They hear more rustling as they near the bottom of the ladder. Vanessa pulls at the door on the side of the shop. It doesn’t budge. She pulls harder. Brooke dismisses her with a flick of her hand and pulls it open on the first try.

“I loosened it up for you.”

“Sure you did, baby.”

Vanessa mumbles something under her breath in Spanish and Brooke laughs lightly, trying to ease her nerves. 

The door creaks on its hinges and the layer of dust on the floor confirms that it really had been abandoned up until this point.

Vanessa goes in first, careful not to disturb anything. The shop looks as if everything had been left exactly the way it was. Merchandise is abundant and priced accordingly. The only sign that time has passed is the thin layer of dust coating everything. 

A sudden movement in the back corner causes both their heads to turn. 

Vanessa approaches the area with slow steps.

Brooke stays where she is, cautious of her surroundings, but calls out to Vanessa, worry eating at her and slipping into her voice. “It’s probably just some animal ‘Nessa.”

Vanessa doesn’t turn around to answer. “Just...give me a second.”

Vanessa gets closer and closer. This time, they both get a good look at the beast in question when it suddenly sprints across the store to jump on top of the cassette display. 

It was a small - clearly underfed - grey cat. 

It hisses as Vanessa approaches once more.

Brooke was now incredibly worried, and didn’t try to stop the concern from infiltrating her voice. “‘Nessa be careful! It could be feral.”

“He’s not.” Vanessa says calmly.

“You don’t know that.”

“I grew up on a farm, Brooke. I’ve seen plenty of feral cats.”

Brooke’s worry vanishes for a second, surprise taking over. “You grew up on a farm?”

Vanessa casts her eyes down a second before responding. “Yup. Cows, chickens, and sheep. The full nine yards.”

Brooke’s voice softens, as it becomes clear that there is still much to learn about her girlfriend. “You never told me that.”

Vanessa shrugs. “It’s not something I’m proud of.” She looks at her feet, not meeting Brooke’s eyes.

The cat hisses again.

Brooke takes a step back and reaches for Vanessa’s hand to pull her away. “We’ll come back to that topic, but for now, you need to back up.”

“I’m fine, B. Really.”

Vanessa approaches once more. The cat’s back is arched and just as it looks like it is about to pounce, Vanessa speaks in a soft voice. “Hey there little guy.” The cat softens a bit. “Qué está pasando? What’s goin on?”

The cat doesn’t respond but he does sink down a little, letting a bit more of the tension dissipate.

Brooke smiles lightly at her girlfriend’s words. As they had gotten to know each other better, Vanessa would slip into Spanish every now and then. She hardly ever realized she was doing it. A confused look on Brooke’s face often was her only cue. 

Brooke smiles lightly now letting a bit of the tension in her own shoulders dissipate. Vanessa slipping into Spanish means she is comfortable. 

Vanessa takes her sandwich and in slow sure movements, careful not to spook the cat more, places it lightly on top of the cassettes. The cat looks at her judgingly for a second before sniffing the sandwich. 

“Adelante.”

Without warning, he sticks his head in and gobbles up the meat in three seconds flat. He looks at Vanessa again, still unsure and then suddenly, a noise rings out in the quiet shop. It takes a minute for Brooke to realize it is coming from the small animal. It sounds almost as if it is calling out.

Another cat appears from between the bookshelves, making his way to the other one by weaving through Brooke’s legs. 

This cat is dark brown with little streaks of lighter brown interspersed throughout his fur, but the dust makes him look almost black. 

The brown cat hops up beside his companion and noses at the pickles for a moment before gobbling one down.

Vanessa bumps Brooke’s shoulder with her own. “Look, that one’s you. He likes pickles.”

Brooke looks at Vanessa like she is crazy. _God she loves her so much._

“C’mon, let’s get closer.”

Brooke wants to protest. Wants to tell her that they should be getting back, but she never could say no to Vanessa. 

The cats tense as they get closer, but when Vanessa puts out her hand, slow but sure, they sniff her curiously. The grey one takes an interest in her and begins to nuzzle up to Vanessa’s hand, even headbutting it at one point.

Vanessa smiles at him. “That one’s me. He’s got a little fire in him. That Puerto Rican sass.”

Brooke laughs lightly, still cautious of spooking the animals.

Vanessa turns to Brooke and grabs her hand, holding it out to the two strays in her own. The cats sniff again but quickly get over their hesticance and start licking at Brooke’s hand. Their sandpaper tongues make tingles crawl up her back. 

Brooke opens her mouth again, worry etched on her face. Vanessa cuts her off before she even gets a word out. “You gotta relax, baby. Everything’s fine. I wouldn't put you in danger, you know that.”

Brooke nods her head. Vanessa’s promise rings in her ears.

_“I’m not gonna hurt you, Brooke.”_

And fuck Brooke believed her. 

Still does. After so many instances where they could have blown up at each other, torn the whole relationship to shreds, they didn’t. Vanessa, for being called a hot-head, never blew up at Brooke. If she was mad she would take time to herself, collect her thoughts, then come back. Brooke tried to do the same. Tried to let things go. Tried to not let the crippling fear of not being good enough for Vanessa not eat at her everyday. Vanessa, bless her, would hold her hand and tell her that she was enough. She was always enough and she always would be enough. 

The cats make it through the first sandwich and Brooke hands over hers as well. The cats lick her hand more fervently this time.

“I think they like you.” Vanessa says stepping back, a smile in her voice.

Brooke looks back at the younger girl who has her phone out and is snapping a picture. 

“They aren’t the only ones.” Vanessa says, winking at her over her phone. Brooke smiles and rolls her eyes.

“You are ridiculous.”

“You love it.”

“I do.” The fondness in Brooke’s voice is palpable.

They trade silly smiles. 

The grey cat hops down from the shelf to nuzzle against Brooke’s feet. The older girl picks him up cautiously, and he immediately softens into her arms. Brooke smiles at him, and looks up to see Vanessa looking at Brooke like she is her world.

“I love you.”

Vanessa’s voice is fond and her eyes are wide. She looks shocked that she said it, but not so shocked that she wants to take it back. 

Brooke is speechless. 

“C’mon, Mary. Don’t leave me hangin.” Vanessa’s words are joking but her tone is nervous. 

Brooke walks slowly up to her, careful not to jarr the cat in her arms. Vanessa places her soft hands on Brooke’s cheeks. “I know you’re scared. You don’t gotta worry so much. You ain’t the only one in this.”

Brooke smiles softly. She has no idea why she was worried. Vanessa always makes her feel safe, even when doing something that feels so dangerous.

“I love you too.”

Vanessa’s face breaks into a smile that looks like it belongs there. “See, that wasn’t so hard was it?”

Brooke shakes her head. Her own smile feeling permanently etched on her face.

Vanessa pulls back to pet at the brown cat. “Now, which one of us is takin these little guys home?”

Brooke’s smile falters. “‘Nessa, we can’t.” She tries to sound firm, tries to leave no question in her voice.

“Why not?” Vanessa looks up at her from under her eyelashes with her quintessential puppy dog eyes.

Brooke doesn’t have an answer. They are both financially stable enough. They have the time to care for them, and- aww look the brown one is licking at Vanessa’s face...

...They both get back to work almost thirty minutes late. Nina, the primary owner of the bakery, shakes her head at Vanessa, and barely bites back a smile. If it were anyone but Vanessa, they would be fired on the spot. But it’s Vanessa. And Nina has a soft spot for romance, and seeing Brooke happy. 

Over the past few months, Nina had come in to Brooke’s shop every now and again. She used the excuse that she was ‘picking up flowers for the missus,’ but Brooke knows it’s really to check up on her and Vanessa.

Nina is nosey but she does it out of love. She and Brooke had hit it off the second they met and it seemed clear then to be the start of a long friendship.

Nina waves at Brooke who is watching anxiously from outside. Brooke blushes and waves back timidly, arms full from carrying both cats. 

As the blonde turns away to open up her shop, Nina whispers to Monet, “We were like that once.” The younger woman is sitting on the counter, even though she knows it drives Nina crazy. 

She rolls her eyes at her wife. “We were never that sappy.”

Nina looks at her with a raised eyebrow. “Must I remind you of the time you waited outside my house with-”

Monet cuts her off. “No. No. Ok. I get it. We were disgusting.”

Nina flashes her a triumphant smile and turns to watch as Brooke closes the door to her shop behind her.

***

Brooke lets the cats roam about her shop, only having to stop them from eating the hydrangeas twice. She looks up every now and then from her orders to see them running about and playing with each other. There is no use fighting the fond smile that begs to adorn her face, so Brooke doesn’t try.

At one point, the grey one hops up on the counter where Brooke is working on an order and starts meowing until Brooke picks him up. She continues her work, cat held securely in her arms. 

The day passes quickly and before she knows it, she is flipping off the open sign. Brooke luers the cats to the front door with a click of her tongue. She throws on her backpack, picks the cats up, and closes the door with her foot, arms full. 

Brooke sees Vanessa through the window, the younger girl waving to Nina and Monet. They wave to Vanessa and smirk at her lovesick expression when she can’t see them.

Vanessa walks slowly up to Brooke and the cats, smiling at the grey one who is licking at Brooke’s face.

“So, you thought of names yet?” Vanessa asks.

“I figured you had that covered.”

Vanessa smiles. She does.

“Henry and Apollo.”

“I like that.”

“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was just complete fluff and world building and I hope it didn't bore you. I've got one more part planned out for this series, so if y'all are game, I'm down.


End file.
